Ben Johns came into this week’s PPA Carvana Arizona Grand Slam perfect in 2023.
Two tournaments, six titles, two triple crowns.
But he won’t finish the week as the only player to make three-consecutive men’s finals appearances this year.
Instead, the only person who has done that is Federico Staksrud. Twice this season, Staksrud lost to Johns on a Championship Sunday singles final, and as we know, twice, Johns came out with gold.
But that won’t be the case this time around. On a cold and windy day in Mesa, Ariz, Staksrud did what Johns usually does to his opponents, starting slow, rallying to comeback, and finishing strong, beating Johns, 12-10, 4-11, 12-10 in the semifinals.
“It’s just a great feeling,” Staksrud said. “I knew I had a chance today. I was going to shoot my shot.”
Well, Staksrud’s aim was just right. After falling behind 6-0 in Game 1, he rallied to win 10 points in a row before holding on for a 12-10 victory. And after a Game 2, 11-4 win by Johns, Staksrud got behind again, this time 8-3. then 9-6. He even faced a match point with Johns up 10-9, but Johns served out of bounds, Staksrud evened the game, Johns served out of bounds again, and after a pair of match points, Staksrud earned the win, 12-10.
“Confidence is key and I have…
